To find out more about the Association of Neighbourhood Houses BC
or our houses and camp visit:
September in Granville Island
anhbc.org
ANHBC NEW STAFF:
CENTRAL: Chia-Yu Hsueh, Sanjeev Kumar Jethi. KNH: Iris Leung, Smith, Alicia. CCNH: Tiffany M. Dong, Cindy Liang, Thomas Newton, Karina C. Calaminos, Joanna Li. GNH: Susan M. Belyea, Joycelyn Y. Gyamfi. ALEX NH: Kayley Bach, Breanna M. Timoffee.SVNH: Suad Al-Taie, Esther Au, Zahra Esmail, Samuel Y. Iwama, Candice Yuk Chu Leung, Vishal Mohan, Fatima Zahra NF Nafis, Saki Serizawa. MPNH: Kayla E. Barkase, Ah Lian Kok, Najila Nouri, Subrina Pratt, Michael J. Volker, Ngoc Lan Vu, Tatiana N. Wong, Dan Hong Yu. FNH: Jaspreet Gill, Lynne Hill, Carolyne Palmer,Oelio Rosabal Rio, Spiros Zygouras. SOC: Darren J. Z. Laufer, Marcia A. Dheilly-Sturrock, Ethan Hunter, Markus A. Masaites.
NEIGHBOURHOOD NEWS prepared byJose Corral, Deb Bryant, Diana Hooper, Lily Chen and Van Tran.
Thank you to all the NH’s for their contributions.All the information contained within this Newsletter is Copyright ANHBC.
I hope everyone has enjoyed summer in this beautiful part of the world. I have been thinking about how fortunate I am to live here and about my responsibility to contribute. Along with several colleagues from the neighbourhood house movement here in Canada, I will attend the International Federation of Settlements (IFS) conference in Berlin in late September (onthemove2016.com). The focus is on populations on the move, leaving communities that do not have the good fortune we have.
In the ANHBC Strategic Plan, adopted at the beginning of the summer, we set a goal of successful “placemaking” and building resilient communities. In resilient communities, people are healthier and do better. Whether we are newcomers or long-term residents, resilient communities help us all feel welcomed and included and are flexible enough to embrace diversity.
To reach this goal, we build on the assets, inspiration, and potential of each community and community member. We cultivate local leadership and create a shared sense of belonging with our members and neighbours. We invite volunteers to work alongside staff to help make sure we are providing the right programs, services and supports. Nurturing our communities is especially important now at a time when millions of people are on the move globally. I look forward to sharing a bit about what I learn in Berlin, about what I can personally contribute and to working with you all toward our vision of everyone living in a healthy and engaged community.
Deb.HR CORNER: New Onboarding Tools, Resources and Survey Results: Updates from ANHBC Onboarding Taskforce Are you aware of the self-guided New Employee Orientation and Onboarding Checklists posted on the ANHBC internal website? These practical tools and resources were officially launched on April 1, 2016 and aim to help improve the onboarding experience for new staff.
Results of the recent onboarding experience survey show that we have made great progress. The percentage of staff that rated their onboarding experience as “excellent” was raised from 33% in December 2015, to a whopping 65%! New staff who utilized the new onboarding tools gave their onboarding experience an “excellent” rating of 100%! 18% of survey participants believe that improvements were needed with their onboarding experience. Although this figure has improved from 27% in December, we realize our work is not yet done. One of the first actions the taskforce recommends is to check out these new tools and resources and introduce them to the new staff. We need everyone to work together in order to create a positive onboarding experience so that our new colleagues not only feel welcomed, but are also well informed and engaged from day one.
On a hot sunny afternoon, there is nothing better than to play in the water. During Alex House’s Play Away Day Camps this summer, the children looked forward to their beach experiences but also enjoyed
our biggest slip and slide ever! With music playing in the background, the squeals of laughter and joy created an amazing energy throughout the camp. Nothing but great fun was had by all!
alexhouse.net
CCNH: Youth Projects
This summer was our fourth year implementing youth projects. We had twelve youth who were inspired to make a difference in community. The first step was to learn about the areas of impact this year: health and wellness, building community, helping others and literacy. The second step was for youth to brainstorm projects and interview community partners to learn about the nuts and bolts of community work. Finally, youth worked together to lead projects; a Pop-Up Playground, a Learning Garden, Mini-Olympics, Seniors’ Stories, Pokemon-Go Meet Up, Amazing Race and a Teen Depression workshop. We are excited to work further alongside our newest Ambassadors.
cedarcottage.org
KNH: Country Hoedown & Chili Chowdown
On Sept 13th, Kits House celebrated our wonderful volunteers with a ‘Country Hoedown & Chili Chowdown’.
The evening featured line dancing, delicious chili and & lots of laughs. Kits House is supported by over 210 active volunteers, contributing over 10,700 hours annually. These volunteers bring passion and skills to the many programs and services that serve our community. kitshouse.org
MPNH: Welcome to Anaya
We would like to welcome Anya McDonald to her new role as Seniors HUB Coordinator at Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House. The Seniors Hub will be a seniors-led, community development initiative to support seniors’ active participation and independence in the MP community, and, along with Cedar Cottage, we are working with South Van Neighbourhood House to scale out their successful Seniors Hub Model in both Mount Pleasant and Cedar Cottage. Anya has a Masters in Social Work and extensive experience working with seniors, including coordinating seniors programs at Kits House, and playing a key role in the Elder Service Corps in Calgary.
mpnh.org
SOC: Youth Camp
Over the last two months Sasamat welcomed almost two thousand children and youth to camp! With the help
of our exceptional staff team, we tackled another summer. Daily life during the summer is exciting, it is not uncommon to suddenly find oneself caught up on the ropes course, or battling in a sink or swim game of dock paper scissors. During the summer we also observe campers routinely hit personal milestones. Be it sleeping away from home for the first time or finding new social confidence, Sasamat was privileged to support so many through significant developmental growth this summer.
sasamat.org
GORDON NH: West End Food Festival
On September 18th, 2016, as part of the 2016 West End Food Festival, Gordon Neighbourhood House and the BC Migrant Workers’ Dignity Association (MWDA) partnered on another
Vancouver Food Conversation. It was moderated by Zahra Esmail, Executive Director of South Vancouver Neighbourhood House. It explored why local food isn’t inherently more just and we heard first hand from migrant farmworkers in the lower mainland about their experiences. Respondents included the Executive Director of the BC Farmers’ Market Association, a representative from Whole Foods and the Director of UBC’s Centre for Sustainable Food Systems and the UBC Farm. We look forward to continuing to work in solidarity and in support of the migrant farm workers that harvest our produce.
gordonhouse.org
FHNH: Paintings by Sves Yeung
FHNH and Drive Youth Employment Services are happy to announce our new art gallery project which will display youth art work on the employment resource room walls. Come by to view the paintings by Sves Yeung. Sves uses plenty of colour in abstracting the landscapes
and portraiture. Sves’ passion is teaching children art and currently works in afterschool care and teaches classes at various elementary schools throughout Vancouver and Burnaby. If any youth artists would like to display their work, please have them get in touch with Robin Anderson: [email protected] to learn more about the gallery schedule.
froghollow.bc.ca
SVNH: South Hill Neighbourhood Centre
South Vancouver Neighbourhood House opened the brand new South Hill Neighbourhood Centre at 5888 Fraser Street. The expansion offers preschool, venue rentals, and a few programs. More programs are expected soon.
The centre is home to the new Little Tree Preschool, a Chinese-English bilingual preschool run by early childhood educator, Candice Leung. The modern and naturally-lit space is open concept with a fully equipped kitchen, office, and small stage. The grand opening was held on Saturday, June 25, 2016 and was well-attended by the community.
